When assessing what the Patriots defense needed most, Rodney Harrison doesn’t tiptoe around. Following the AFC Championship Game loss to the Ravens, Harrison put out the call for the Pats to acquire an enforcer at safety.

He thought the Pats really needed someone who would set the tone for the defense, and put some fear in tight ends and wide receivers coming across the middle. In short, they were a little too soft for his liking.

Speaking with Harrison Thursday to get his take on the signing of Adrian Wilson, the former Patriots “enforcer” was quick with the thumbs up. He couldn’t say enough. He loves the addition of the veteran safety, calling the signing a “fantastic move” by Bill Belichick.

With all due respect to the other top available safety, Ed Reed, Harrison believes Wilson was the perfect choice for the Pats defense.

Enforcer? Check. Fear factor? Check.

“Adding him, the veteran leadership, the presence, the respect factor, he’s a guy that’s a terrific blitzer, and a physical presence,” said Harrison, now an NFL analyst for NBC. “I think he can come in especially during nickel and dime situations, and come down (close to the line) and play that second linebacker position like I did. He’s physical enough to help out in the run game, but he can also cover tight ends. So he can be that guy next to (Jerod) Mayo who can come in and really make a difference in that nickel and dime package. . . . It’s a fantastic move. I think he’ll help the Patriots immediately. I think he’ll hold people accountable.”

It’s hard imagining a safety getting a better endorsement than that. In New England, the Harrison stamp of approval means something. And the former Patriots star and two-time Super Bowl champion, who similarly was envisioned as being on the downside and cut loose by his original team, allowing him to sign with the Pats, is truly a fan of Wilson, who turns 34 in October.

Harrison envisioned Wilson having a similar role to the one he tackled with the Pats for six seasons, but mostly taking on tight ends in those sub packages given Wilson is 6-foor-3, 230 pounds.

When told there was some fan disappointment that Belichick didn’t do more to get Reed, especially since the former Ravens safety was a particular favorite of the Pats coach, and typically wreaked havoc with quarterback Tom Brady, Harrison didn’t flinch. He still believes the Pats signed the right guy. While Wilson signed a three-year deal for $5 million, Reed landed in Houston for the same number of years, but for more money ($15 million).

“For what the Patriots need, they don’t need Ed Reed. They need an Adrian Wilson,” Harrison said. “They don’t need a free safety that can intercept balls. They have that. Devin McCourty is that Ed Reed (role). He doesn’t have that name behind him. But he is developing into a young safety. They need a guy like Adrian Wilson who can really give them versatility in those nickel and dime packages. He’ll help that secondary right away.”

Harrison is well aware that Wilson’s playing time was cut late last season in Arizona and the safety wasn’t playing in sub packages. He also acknowledged the veteran safety had probably lost a step. That didn’t alter Harrison’s assessment.

“Part of it . . . there was a calculated plan to get him out of Arizona. They wanted to play the younger guys,” Harrison said of the Cardinals opting for the younger Rashad Johnson during the latter half of last season. “Has he lost a step? Yeah, he’s lost a step. But we all lose a step in our 12th and 13th year. That doesn’t mean he can’t be productive and a really good player used well in the scheme of Bill Belichick’s system.

“I still believe he’s an every-down safety. I think it was a fantastic move and I’m looking forward to seeing Adrian play. I’ve really admired him from afar for so many years and seeing him mature. People really don’t understand what he’s been able to accomplish throughout his career because he’s played in such a bad market in Arizona. He’s really an under-appreciated and underrated player. He’s had a fabulous career. He’s a gem. I’ve seen this kid grow. I’ve seen him put on a lot of muscle and develop into a real quality player.”

When Wilson first came into the league in 2001, Harrison was still in San Diego, so he got to see him first-hand as a rookie as well as his first few years. So he has a pretty good idea what the Pats are getting.

He also believes Wilson will be an excellent complement for McCourty and a great mentor for both McCourty and second-year safety Tavon Wilson.

“With the fire and energy he plays with, you couldn’t ask for a better situation,” said Harrison. “If you had an Ed Reed or a Troy Polamalu coming through, that’s similar to what you’re going to get from Adrian Wilson. You’ll have that veteran presence, that maturity and that leadership. With McCourty, he can continue to develop into the fine young safety he’s going to develop into. And he can learn a lot from Adrian.

“The one question he’ll have to answer, will he be a full-time, every down safety? Can he cover in open space? Will he be able to cover the deep half of the field? That’s a lot of questions. But I’ll say it again, I think this is a good move for the Patriots.”

Sherman adds to boasts

Richard Sherman likes to talk, as we all know. By all accounts, he has no filter. The Seattle cornerback had no problem getting in Brady’s face, and reveling in the Seahawks’ come-from-behind victory last season at CenturyLink Field.

Adding to the Sherman legend, during a recent interview on ESPN, he claimed he was better than Jets shutdown corner Darrelle Revis.

Pete Carroll’s take on his cocky defensive back?

“He wants to say what he wants to say. In that, there’s a cost in that because not everyone agrees with people talking like that,” the Seahawks coach told reporters during the recent league meetings. “But he told the truth as he knew it. Our players know Richard that way . . . there’s times when it feels uncomfortable. He’s working at understanding how to express himself on a regular basis.

“But it is Richard being Richard. And I think we’ll see Richard continuing to grow. He’s a young player, he’s a young competitor. He’s going to figure out what’s necessary. He’s got a mind of his own. He has not been in the spotlight. He’s figuring it out.”

Carroll indicated he had spoken with Sherman in wake of the ESPN interview.

The topic?

“We just talked about humility,” Carroll said with a smile.

A sense of porpoise?

It’s going to be interesting to see if all of the high-priced free agents the Dolphins have signed can come together and mesh with the existing players. Mike Wallace, Dannell Ellerbe, Phillip Wheeler, Dustin Keller, Brandon Gibson, et al, are going to have to blend in. It might take awhile, or it just might not happen at all. It didn’t work in Philadelphia, when the Eagles assembled a ton of high-priced talent, laughingly dubbed the “Dream Team.”

Dolphins coach Joe Philbin seems to know exactly what he wants in players, and from his players. No egos, divas, or problem children. Apparently, all of the above fit the Philbin profile.

“I want guys who want to make an impact on and off the field. Good human beings. Guys who want to get better. Guys who want to improve,” Philbin told reporters at the league meetings. “They want to be great, want to win. Those types of guys we can work with every day.”

It remains to be seen how this all works out. . . .

Speaking of Wallace, Colts coach Chuck Pagano, formerly the defensive coordinator with the Ravens, said he always made a point of game-planning around the speedy receiver when Wallace was with the Steelers.

“If you don’t, you’re in trouble. You’re crazy not to, he’s a game changer,” Pagano said of Wallace, whom the Pats will now face twice a year. “He has rare speed. He can take the top off of any defense. You’ve got to make sure you tend to him. If you leave him alone or leave him matched up one-on-one, he’s going to burn you.”

An introduction to ‘Elvis’

Patriots historian Bob Hyldburg draws on another anniversary for this week’s offering. On March 31, 1993, Hyldburg notes that the Patriots introduced their new logo (colloquially known as the “Flying Elvis”) and new uniform.

After the hiring of Bill Parcells, the Pats changed the primary color of the uniform to blue (a la the Giants) and the color of the helmet to silver.